Q: Here’s the part that I don’t get about the now-dead-in-the-water IndyCar video game: Why didn’t IndyCar go with Codemasters? That company has a proven track record and has made the Dirt series, F1 and GRID games, to name a few. They were the creators behind the last IndyCar game made in 2005. They know what they are doing. They get it when it comes to motorsports.
I hadn’t even heard about the Motorsport Games publisher that IndyCar had making the defunct video game before they were given the contract and went belly-up, to be honest Also, iRacing is a fine platform, but you have to ask yourself how many people know about it, and if the average person can afford all the gear to truly experience it?
With a game on a major system like XBox, PC and PlayStation, you’ll be able to play online or offline, any track you would like, at your own skill level.
People on iRacing have paid to be there and for their cars. They don’t like newbies that may crash out. That’s a common complaint I have heard. Why can’t IndyCar put out content for iRacing and a video game on XBox, PC and PlayStation for the rest of us?
The series has really shot itself in the foot with trying to reach and keep younger fans. It seems that IndyCar takes a step forward and then two steps back as of late with hybrids, poor marketing for Thermal Club, the possibility of Honda leaving after 2026 and the TV contract not being decided past 2024. They aren’t out in front of stories and are making fans uneasy. Things may be going well at 16th & Georgetown, but the negative perception after these stories lingers and affects what people new to IndyCar think.
David Colquitt
MP: As I’ve always understood it, Penske Entertainment went with its now-former video game provider because one or more of its senior executives has close and longstanding ties to the organization.
Q: This will not be another Honda/IndyCar doom and gloom letter, but rather food for thought. We know the issues IndyCar has among its aging demographic fan base, and a lack of new OEMs, and the howling for a new car, etc.
The reality check question is: If IndyCar abandoned its current open-wheel business model, and instead pivoted to adopting the WEC-style cars and technical/engine formulae — especially at the Indy 500 — would 80% of fans even notice? Would they even care?
I’m going to say no.
With a decade-plus of cars being nearly identical, the call to put out a new car is loud, but step back as a casual fan and ask if most of the people in the stands would notice a difference of cars from 100 feet away on track if there was a next-gen evolution of the current Dallara. Doubtful.
It was said in Mailbags that adopting a common spec engine and rebadging for other OEMs is a viable solution to that issue. Hardcore fans would love to see 1000hp, and anyone who’s been a fan over 35 would love to hear the return of the 2.65L V8s. Myself included, but it’s a long shot.
Back to the cars: Do you think if 22 WEC cars showed up on grid on Memorial Day weekend that 80% of the fans attending would be howling at what an awful thing it is? I’m calling no, they wouldn’t.
Can you discuss your thoughts on that?
As another reminder, the same 10-20 people who make all the comments on the comment section on RACER do not make up the majority of the IndyCar fan base. Like current political climates, the loudest 10% of the population are not the feelings of the other 90% majority of the population, yet this is who gets the most attention given of their comments — because they are consistently the loudest.
Ed, Westfield
MP: Would Indy 500 attendees, aka “IndyCar diehards,” complain about things being different at the 500? Sweet Baby Jesus, any answer other than “**** YES” is wrong.
I’d love to see the WEC at IMS, on the road course, but not as the cars used for the Indy 500 because those aren’t the cars used for the Indy 500. I go to Le Mans, or COTA, or wherever else to see the WEC cars, just as I go to the Indy 500 to see the IndyCars. It’s a bit like suggesting NFL fans at the Super Bowl wouldn’t be mad if most of the players were replaced by the stars of Major League Soccer. An armed revolt would take place.
The loudest voices are the ones that get heard the most in any situation, as you point out. Doesn’t mean they speak for the majority. It also doesn’t mean they don’t. We’d need data to make an informed statement there. But we do know that when the majority are happy, we tend to hear and read happy things. Maybe 90 percent of IndyCar fans love the state of the series, and if they do, I’d truly welcome more submissions from them, but let’s also not discount what the critical or displeased folks have to say.
The Mailbag is a proverbial town hall where those who are motivated to participate send in their thoughts and ask for input on whatever items they’re wanting to discuss. Whether it’s smiles or frowns, I take the topics raised each week as a reflection of those who care enough to step up to the mic and speak their truths. Whether they’re speaking from the minority or majority doesn’t matter to me.
Q: I have read that many streaming services do not make money. How many folks subscribe to DirtVision and FloRacing?
Pete Pfankuch, Wisconsin
MP: I have no clue, Pete. The two forms of racing I’ve dedicated my personal and professional lives to are IndyCar and all of its related junior open-wheel feeder series, and sports cars. While I have an appreciation for what you’d find on those streamers, and have been to a handful of midget/sprint races, I’m not the guy to look towards for answers on such things. But if you’re curious about IndyCar, IMSA, Belgian beers, Rush, Big L, or other things in those areas, ask away.
Q: Toyota probably manufactures more hybrid vehicles than any company in the world. What better way to demonstrate its engineering skills than to provide a power unit for IndyCar, a series watched by its largest consumer market? The GR010 Hypercar is a hybrid, but hardly anyone in the U.S. knows of its existence. Perhaps NASCAR provides better ROI than either IndyCar or WEC, but NASCAR will not adopt hybrid technology before the end of the decade. It will be too expensive for small teams and deeply unpopular with the audience. Toyota providing power units to IndyCar seems like a perfect fit — especially if it can bring its vast hybrid expertise to the series.
The Brazilian actor Gabriel Leone plays Alfonso De Portago in the motion picture “Ferrari.” He has also been cast as Ayrton Senna in an upcoming Netflix series. Wait, Netflix is making a series about Senna? How did we not know about this? Filming started in Brazil this past October. Perhaps Chris has the inside scoop on the series and its genesis.
Jonathan and Cleide Morris, Ventura, CA
MP: It was maybe 16 months ago when Roger Penske told me he came very close to signing Toyota, but a change of CEOs in the U.S. nixed the deal; the CEO who he knew extremely well was in, but then he was replaced, and all that progress fell through. So, yes, it would be a great fit, but the people who run the company at the top do not agree.
CHRIS MEDLAND: Yes, Netflix is! Well, Gullane is producing it for Netflix. It was actually announced back in 2020 amid plenty of interest in new F1 stuff, but it appears production was delayed as an initial target had been to launch in 2022. What’s exciting about the Senna project — which is a miniseries that looks set to be around six-to-eight episodes — is that it has the involvement of the Senna family.
The Netflix synopsis reads: “The miniseries will explore Ayrton Senna da Silva’s personality and family relationships. The starting point will be Ayrton’s career debut, when he moved to England, and will culminate in the tragic accident in Imola, Italy, during the San Marino Grand Prix, when he died.”
I wish I could bring you more of an inside scoop than that, but as it’s not an official F1 production it’s largely a project that has been shot in Brazil and details are still limited, although there appears to be a target to release it by the end of this year.